PEOKLETON PARISH.

• • • , a large and indifferently built village, with many framework knitters, on the north side of the Leicester and Swannington Railway\· on which it has a station, 5 miles W, by N. of Leicester, gives name tQ... a large parish, divided into several scattered hamlets, and comprising altogether about 4204A. OR. 19P. of lllnd, and 1~64 inhabitants, of who:rq. 690 are in Ratby, 68 in Botchestan. 461 in , and 45 in Newtown. Untltank. These bmTJlets, together with 1¥hittington Grange (337A,), 2 miles N.W. of Ratby, support the~r poor as one tO"\\''llship, in Marke• Bosworth Union. Ratby contaius 1620 acres, aud is parcel of the Ead.. Qf $tamford and Warriugton's Manor of Groby. The soil is partly !l. f;ltro:pg Wt\J', and partly Q. gravelly loam, On the farm called Holywell, about a mile W. of the village, is a. large entrenchment, in the fonn of a parallelogram. Throsby says, the embankment includes an area of "nine acres and thil'ty-one poles, with the slope of 39t feet." From itg. lofty apex is obtained a.n extensive view of the circumjacent country. 'rhough antiquades have not described any Roman road in this direction, it is extremely probable that the Via Devana, in communicating betweeq RataJ and Deva Oolonia, passed this encampment. Near it is a spring called Holywell. About 1l mile to the north-east are the granite ani\ slate quarries, and the site of the ancient castle of Groby. Ratby ha~ been spelt Rotebie, and Roceby, and was held at the Conquest by Hqgh de Grentemaisnell, who had a larger share of than any other of tile followers of William the Conqueror. Ratby was enclosed in 1770, and Groby in 1789, when the tithes were commuted. The Olturch (St. Pl1iHp) was appropriated to , in 1291, and is a large ancient structure, with a massive tower ~nd folU' bells. Th~ chancel was re-roofed by the , in 1855 ; and the east window is rema1·kable for its elaborate and intricate tracery, In the chancel is a tomb and monument, dated 1620, and having a long inscrip­ tion in Latin to the memory of Henry Sacheverell, whose recumbent effigy, in robes and ruff is placed under n.n arch supported by pillars, and is in good preservation. He is said to have resided at Old Hays, now a farm-house. sun·ounded by a deep moat. Near this monu,nent